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About Me

I am a below knee amputee. More importantly, I am also Mommy to two boys, a very active 10 year old (Robby) and an mischievous toddler (Timmy). I have learned that being a parent with a disability can create some unusual and sometimes humorous situations.
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Tuesday, December 06, 2016

Squawking

Apparently I was not the only one who was fighting against returning to
reality. I think that Timmy has thoroughly enjoyed being the center of
his Nana's undivided attention. While I'm sure she found him exhausting,
I have no doubt he relished the role of entertainer. Back home in our
normal environment, he seemed to go out of his way to find the
limelight.

Unfortunately, Timmy doesn't yet seem to know the
difference between "good attention" and "bad attention." From his two
year old perspective, anytime he is receiving attention, he considers it
to be a victory. The fact that he was able to fling an open cup, full
of water, from the living room into the kitchen sink was simply a bonus
compared to the reaction he received. (On a side note, he does have a
fantastic throwing arm. If he ever learns to harness his talents for
good instead of mischief, I think we would be a force on the baseball
field.)

I really need to work on tempering my reaction when he is
naughty so that he doesn't find it so rewarding. I try to maintain my
composure, but after he is found on the kitchen table trying to swing on
the chandelier for the third time in an hour, I find myself squawking
like an angry chicken. Of course my over-the-top reaction only serves to fuel his mischievous ambitions.

I realize that I am spiraling in the abyss of toddler misdirection. I know that I need to stop reinforcing his naughty behaviors because he is only seeking attention. I need to reinforce the positive while gently correcting those I want to modify. Of course, that task is easier said than done. Thank goodness I don't have any qualms about
dyeing my hair, because this little guy is making me go grey quickly﻿!